1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electrophotographic recording apparatus such as copying machines, facsimile machines, printers, and systems combining these machines and printers.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of output devices of computers and personal computers and copying machines for copying images, a system of recording data by electrophotography is extensively employed to produce hard copies quickly and inexpensively. Particularly, low-speed apparatus characterized by a relatively low-speed recording are rapidly gaining in popularity in recent years, and are expanding their market share due to excellent maintainability achieved by employing a cassette having a developing unit and a cleaner disposed around a photosensitive drum.
However, the cassette requires replacement of many components, such as the photosensitive drum, the developing unit, and the cleaner, in addition to toner that is the only thing which needs to be replenished in conventional apparatus. This brings about a shortcoming in that the running cost of the apparatuses with the cassette is several times as high as that of the conventional ones.